Boiler-flue cleaner.



PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREAS GRNVALD, OF SKIEN, NORWAY.

BOILER-FLUE CLEANER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

' Patented June 8, 1909.

Application iiled Nuvember 2, 1908. Serial No. 460,631.

To all whom it may 'concer/n:` i

Be it known that I; ANDREAS GRNVALQ if of Skien, Norway, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boiler-Elue Cleaners, ofwhich the following is a specilication Y patent above referred to the apparatus-consis-ts -of a 'header pipe extending across 'the -end df the boiler from which depend cleaning vpipes having orifices in line with'each of 'the several flues or tubes of the boiler, and from which openingssteam-is blown through the `ilues 'to-clean them. `The steam is delivered to the dependingpipes through the header from a connection leading from the boiler, and there is a valve in the header governing the admission of the steam to the several depending cleaning pipes. This valve-consists of a" tube fitting closely Within lthe 'header and having a series -of o errings A adapted-to register 'with the inlet en y of 'the several depending cleaner-pipes. 'In practice I have found thatwhen this valvetube is made to fit tightly v'enough vto'prevent leakage -Qf Asteam bet-Ween its exterior rand the interior surfaces of the header, lthe fric- -tion-'is excessive, making 4it extremely difficult to turn 'the valve, and v"fre uently-causing the operating 'handle vto there is -sufficient leakage of ysteam*Iarinrnd the valve and into all the cleaning tubes 'to fcause Lloss of pressure in thecleaning tubes,

which are fput actively Yinto eration, so thatthere is not sufficient force 1n the jets of steam issuing from the latter to eifect the proper cleaning'of the boiler lines.'

In the present invention I have designed the tube valve which operates 'Within thev header pipe so that it is effectively packed: therein to prevent leakage of steam, with at the same time so little frictional resistance as reak awa-y. 'x When, on the other hand, the valve iis made vto iit so loosely that it can be -readityf'turired,V

to oier no great impediment to its 'being turned, and to eliminate all danger of breaking it -or the handle by which it is turned. These results I accomplish by constructing the valve tube throughout the -'greaterpart of its length of aless diameter thanthe interior diameter of the header so thatfin these ortions it makes no contact with the header,V ut it does fit Atightly enough immediately yadjacent those yportions in which the outlet openings are located `to prevent leakage of steam. l

The construction of my limproved boiler ilue cleaner is illustrated in the accompanyin drawings, in Which-, l y

igure Lrepresents an end viewof a steamboiler, showing the cleaning device applied thereto., Fig. 2 represents an under plan view of xthe header. Fig. 3 re resents an 4elevation of the valve tube.' 4 represents a sectional view ofthe "header, sho-Wing the val-ve tube in place therein.

vThe same reference characters `indicate the same arts in all the iigures.

Re erring to Ethedra-wings, 1 indicates the end of a boiler as the same-is seen infront elevation,` such boiler Ihaving the usual lues or ing downward from the vheadfer and -in 'front ofeach up-and-down row-of flues is a series yof cleaning pipes 40 which are secu-redtothe header by means of-collars 5 surrounding *the "latter, in lwhich the ends of thecleaning pipes areifastened. vvThe o enings in'these-collars which contain the ends of the cleaning tubes epass entirely lthrough the collars and vregister with the outlet ports 4 of the header.v Each c'leaning :tube has perforations `'in Eline 'with 'the respective boiler lues and arranged tod-iirect a l)et of steam into suo'h liiues Whenthe steam is admitted to the cleaning pipes.

rlfhe means 'for delivering steam to the Vj'header is a pipe 6 leading from lthe boiler, having a ivalve 7'and connected directly `Witll -the end of the header. Whenthe valve 7-'is `o ened, the steam flows from the boiler into :ft eheader and is admitted lto vthe latter `under the ycontrol of a Itubular jvalve L8 placed rwithin vthe header. 'This valve Visopen ati-:its

end (that is. the right-hand'end as viewed in 110 Fig. 1) so that the steam which flows through the pipe 6 will enter the' interior of the valve.

. one time.

that-the'valve can never be ,placed so as to' header.

`valve tube but are located at different points in the periphery thereof so that all will not register with thc ports in the header at any That 1s, the arrangement 1s suc cause steam to blow out of the lateral perforations in all the cleaning pipes at the same time, but the latter are operated in sections. That is, in one position of the valve, one, two or more of the cleaning with steam and caused to ow jets of steam through the boiler iiues in line therewith While the others are inactive, and in another ositinof the valve admission to the tubes irst referred to is closed iWhile steam -is admitted to othertubes.

The arrangement of the ports around the sides of the valve is such that by continuous oscillation of thevalve back and forth, the various vcleanin tubes are Arendered operative in turn, an allare operated in Aone complete cycle of movements of the valve. Thus during the cleaning of the entire set of boiler fiues, the fire is not dulled, and the draft not interrupted,` but are improved,V because of the fact that the steam is onl blown through a small proportion of the ues contrary to the direction of draft at anyone-time. The header and cleanin tubes are located within the front of the boi ersetting so that there is no need of opening the front of the boiler to operate-the apparatus, and theoperato'r is not exposed to the heat or to-poisonous gases of the fire.

As will be seen 'from Figs. 3 and 4, the valve tubel as a whole is of less diameter than the interior of the header, so that throughout the major portion of its length it makes no contact with the interior surface of the But immediately adjacent to the several ports 9, the valve is provided with shoulders or enlargements 10 which fit closely within the header, making contact with the latter so tightly on allv sides of the outlet ports 9 as to prevent leakage of steam, thus permitting escape of steam from the valve onl when its ports are in line with the ports 4 o the header. The frictional resistance to turning of the valve is` thus ver'y'much less than would be the case if the valve made steam-tight contact with the header through out its entire length, and in the case of devices in which the headers and valves are of great length, the construction having a limlted area of contact eliminates the danger of pipes are supplied breakage, which is present in those devices where the contact is continuous.

The valve is rotated by means of a handle 12 secured suitably in its periphery and projecting through a semi-circumferential slot 13 in the header. This slot is covered by a collar or sleeve 14 which surrounds the header at this point and through which the shank 15 of the handle 12, which is directly secured to the valve tube, extends. The sleeve packs the slot 13 and prevents leakage of steam therefrom. i

1. In a boiler flue cleaner, in combination y .with a header and cleaning pipes therefrom' having outlet orifices in line with the iiues or tubes of the boiler, a valvetube having vorts and adapted to register successively wit the inlet openings toA different portions of said cleaning pipes and making contact with'the interior wa ls of the header only at points immediately adjacent to ,andl surrounding said ports. r

2. In aboiler flue cleaner, in combination with a header and cleaning-pipes depending therefrom, a valve consisting of a tube mounted coaxially Within the header and having ports adapted to register successively with the inlets to different cleaning ipes, said valve tube having separated e ar ements making steam-ti ht contact withrt e interiorwalls'of the hea er on each side of the ports, said valve tube ybeing otherwise out of contact with the header. A

3. In a boiler iiue cleaner having a header provided with outlet ports in its side and cleaning pipes extending therefrom and having inlets registering With said ports, a tubular valve Jlocated within said header and rotatable aboutthe axis thereof, said tube having annular members makin' steam-tight con` tact withvthe interior wa ls on each side of the ports and being elsewhere out of contact ywith the header.

ANDREAS GRNVALD.

Witnesses: i I

ARTHUR ILBRowN, i A. C. RA'rm-AN. 

